Shadows Around Us
by TheTwilightWarrior
Summary: The hero is gone... The princess is ill... The country is falling... But one thing remains: There are shadows all around us... Will be very long, Oc's included.
1. Chapter 1

**Hiya! Well, I'm not dead, and I've pretty much abandoned all my other stories, why? Because I have the **_**worst **_**case of writers-block EVER. But my block is weird... I can only think of new stories. And I be on a fabulous vacation, and that's just making it worse for some reason. So... Warning: This will be very long. And full of OC's... I'm basically re-doing Zelda. New characters, of course, Zelda Link and Ganon and a few others will still be there... A lot actually... But if you don't like OC's and totally changing plot stuff. Do. Not. Read. You've been warned. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing I don't own.**

The beauty of a new born day... Nothing could compare, especially when in Hyrule. Many enjoyed such a day... A morning dew slathering over carts and trading wagons, it painted the city in a peaceful manner... Of course... The day lost some luster when one was trapped in a Smokey, rum-smelling bar. But, sacrificing the day was enough to pay the bar keep for allowing one to stay in the lovely establishment.

The horrid sound of men laughing clanking glasses together nearly deafened the poor waitress. It amazed her how so many people came to a bar so early_... _She shook away the thoughts and strolled up to the counter where the bar keeper was feverishly preparing the multiple orders. This was one of those days where everyone in Hyrule had decided to get drunk. Not surprising... But what was surprising was that after the castle was rebuilt, everyone had assumed Hyrule would be a much better place. But of course, Hyrlue had plumeted. Nowadays, nearly every single man was a dirty pig. And even the women gossiped about their friends and never kept an honest word.

Most liked to blame the princess, after all. Being ruler of a country meant getting blamed for everything that went wrong. But Princess Zelda was doing a fine job; it was just that the people were... Being very strange as of late. They were drunk much more, obviously, and although it was good news for a small bar in a back alley, it was no good for a country. The poor princess had been so hounded with different sorts of legal parchment and such, she was sick. Bedridden the poor soul and _still_ buried in papers!

The waitress sighed, the princess was said to be a master of healing magic... The one drawback to being a healer is that you can't heal yourself. And she should now, she was a healer! She thought of her healing book sitting in an old shelf, as she set a precariously balancing tray, stacked with glasses on the dark oak counter. A dark haired woman dressed in full armor came rushing up and stealing the glasses away. As she had found... A lot of people were in debt to the owner, (Even thought the owner said it was a favor. Perhaps that was truly how she hired people) and how different those people were... The woman who had stolen the tray was called Ashei, no one really knew much about her except that she came from the mountains and was currently staying in a bar.

There were two men, but they were too much to describe... Very odd fellows they were...

The waitress cleared her mind and turned to the owner. She was now dealing with another customer, the man was yet another gruff looking soul. Five o'clock shadow at seven in the mourning... The waitress tried to mask the snort that escaped her from her own small thought. After taking a moment to calm herself and await the man to pay for his random alcohol. She cleared her throat. "Miss Telma?"

The keeper turned and shook her head, smiling and handing her the exact thing she needed, two full glasses of mead, perfectly balanced. "Abria, I told you to call me Telma. No formalities needed, we are all friends here." She smiled warmly at the girl. She couldn't help but recall the day she had stumbled into the bar, tired, sad... She ordered water. Now, this was a bar, when people came. They either ordered rum or wine, when they were so sad they could even think. They ordered water.

And seeing as a girl who had only seen around sixteen years was in a bar. Telma had thought best to offer her a room, free for the night. The offer was greatly accepted, and the girl. Who had given her name as Abria, was happily resting the night. It was a rather small place, the five guest fitting in a two bedroom bungalow meant boys in one room and girls in the other. Abria had found that, although being very small, the place was cozy. Being so near all these different guest meant getting to know them. But now, they had become what was sure to be the most... Special, family in all Hyrule.

When she had awoken the next morning, Telma had asked her where she was going. And she had hesitantly said that she really didn't know. Now, being Telma, the woman just couldn't let that slide. She was appalled that a girl of her age was alone with no place to sleep. She had then thought it right to ask the girl where she had come from.

_"Well... I lived in Castle town my life. My parents raised me in the little house just west of here... Just around two months ago, they said it was time for me to leave... Make my own life and live it well... I was happy, I guess... They trusted me enough to live alone..."_

_"So, they gave me just enough for food, for about a week. And sent me out... I figured the first thing to do would be find a job, so I did. Right at that little fruit stand! But you see I am... A bit... Klutzy... And I kept dropping the fruit... So they fired me... I went back home and my parents were gone... By now it had been a week I suppose... They left a note that said they traveled to Ordon village... I looked for another job, but no one wants a girl that can hardly stand on her own two feet..."_

It had been obvious that she was leaving out a far too large amount of details. Being dodgy of the subject, of course Telma wasn't blind. She could tell that asking further would just be putting the girl in a corner. Although, knowing that her parents had simply up-and-run, was very... Vexing. Little did she know that just a few months later, seeing children begging and living under carts was common!

Telma had lost count of how many times she had asked herself this, but what was Hyrule becoming? Nayru bless Princess Zelda! To be doing such an incredible job of keeping a country, only to have it fall to pieces... But at least Abria had gotten a job, after hearing her plight. Telma had given her the job, she had figured out the girl's problem with... Balance, and had gotten an estimate of how many glasses she could carry without dropping them. Two full glasses. Anything after that would be on the floor.

"Okay, Mi- I mean _Telma, _are the orders ready...?" She asked, peering over the woman's shoulder and searching for the rum. She was sixteen and short, so she really could only see Telma. And she was still smiling... "Right here, Hun." She whirled around and handed her the tray, stacked with _two _glasses.

Abria took them gratefully. "Thank you, Miss Telma!" She half-yelled, winking as she scurried off before the bar keeper could scold her for calling her "Miss". She had never really seen the problem with it, Telma deserved respect! She was the best woman Abria knew, and probably the best one in Hyrule at this point...

Ah well... She had orders to fill and people to serve. Oh, but here was a real problem, two overly-drunken men were beginning to get into it about something... It was impossible to tell what, they were slurring every word. It was a wonder that they could argue and not even understand each other...

They were shouting now. Telma would have to use her magic and get them out. But they were big men... And they didn't seem to want to leave. Dang. Telma approached the two yelling men, she put her arm in front of them and they turned angrily at her. "Now now, I won't have this in my bar..." They glared at her. "So either you get outta here, or stop this nonsense!"

One of them, who happend to have only one eye, snarled it the bar keeper. She stood on her toes to look him in the... Eye, and glared right back. The man seemed to take ofense at this and shoved her back. It didn't really hurt her, but it certainly made her mad. And it seemed to make someone else mad. A man wearing a dark cloak that completely covered his face, stepped forward and drew his sword, the man who had so rudely shoved Telma, stepped up to the challenge. Drawing his sword as well...

Abria tried to remember seeing that man come in, she could recall Telma asking her to see if he needed anything... But he hadn't said a word, and such a strange man he seemed. He was awful short and looked as though he didn't stand a chance against the towering ruffian who was his opponent.

But there they were, swords drawn and ready to strike. And there went half the customers... What about the other half you say? Certain Hylains just had nothing better to do then watch to men sword fight in a bar...

And as sad as it was, Abria was used to this by now. She dodged the swinging blades with ease, which was surprising considering she would have a harder time without them... She simply plopped the tray in front of two gawking men and held out her hand. They were so wrapped in the fight, they hardly noticed. Only after snapping her fingers several times did one of them slap a handful of rupees in her hand.

She thanked them and ran back behind the counter. Telma was standing there, keeping an eye on the two fighters and waiting for the victor. One of the good things about having a healer was that whoever lost wouldn't die... Hopefully... Some people had started casting lots on the fight; most were on the man-with-one-eye's side. Probably because they knew him...

A thought occurred to the waitress; where was the other man? The one who had helped start the fight? He must've fled after seeing the cloaked man step up. Abria scoffed to herself, he probably just didn't have a sword... Men...

A groan of pain dragged her gaze back to the fight. The good man had gotten his arm cut and the bad man was now laughing at him. "Well!" The man slurred. "Les 'ee who this man is!" He yanked the cloak off the man... A gasp filled the room; it quickly turned to a deadly silence as they stared at the bleeding figure.

The man, wasn't a man... It was a girl, and a strange one too. She didn't even look to be older then Abria! In fact... She looked younger... The silence broke as the man (Who was actually a man) yanked the girl to her feet and laughed at her.

Once his laughing had ceased, he leaned up close to her. His rum drenched breath made her grimace in disgust. "Well lassie... We're still a' fightin'..." He chuckled and threw her back on the floor. Abria glanced at her boss, the woman had her hand lightly covering parted lips. She looked too appalled to even move. Abria turned her gaze back to the girl, she shakily stood. Using the hilt of her sword to balance.

The man continued laughing at her, she weakly turned up to him, her eyes flashed ad she let out a low growl. Wait... Growl? What in Hyrule... The man raised his sword to hit her for the final time, half the awestruck bar squinted away, almost afraid to see the girl's life end. But it wasn't over quite yet...

The girl's nose curled into a snarl and she let out another deep, low growl. The man took a quick step back. _Good_, Abria thought, she was still holding out for the girl. After a moment's hesitation, the man shook it off and inched slowly towards her. Abria let out a sigh; this kind of thing as well was happing all over Hyrule. It was just a bit depressing to see it happen right here.

The man snickered. "You could've given up, lassie." After that seemed to happen in slow motion. The man brought his sword down, but right before he had. The girl had let out a long, inhuman roar and stopped it with her hand. But her hand... It had razor claws jutting out of it where her finger nails should be. And they were now scrapping against the steel of the sword, every few seconds and a spark would fly off the strange pair of weapons clashing.

But the man had only one sword, but the girl had two hands... Holding off the sword was proving a bit hard, and Abria could already see the girl's next move... She swung her other arm under the man, slicing into his abdomen and shoving him back.

He held a hand over the seeping red spot on his shirt and widened his eyes. "You're a beast..." He mumbled, pointing one long, fat finger at her. She subconsiouly growled at him. "Beast!" He then turned to the rest of the still awestruck bar and shouted. "She's a beast!" He ran out of the bar, leading the pack of customer resembling a pack of wild dogs.

The girl flopped back in chair, her bleeding arm finally catching up to her. Abria, snapping back into reality, jumped from behind the counter and ran to a nearby shelf. She ran her finger along the rows of books and pulled out a white and gold trimmed hard-back. She flipped through the pages and snapped her fingers, running over to the girl.

She sat on her knees and moved her lips as she read over the paper. She held up her hand, her eyes darting across the page. She place her hand over the girls arm and chanted something in ancient Hylian, squeezing her eyes shut in concentration and allowing white magic to flow freely from her fingers tips to cover the arm.

After several seconds, she pulled her hand back to reveal perfectly healed skin. The girl looked up at the healer, a piece of hair that had covered her eye brushed away. Showing one piercing green cat's eyes, her skin pulled back into a snarl to show one sharp fang.

The waitress covered her mouth, quickly stood and stepped back. The girl only stared at her, then looked at her arm and back at the healer. She too stood, her hair recovering her eye and her lips closing around the fang. "I suppose you'll scream now?" She hissed.

Abria was, needless to say, taken back by this. She could talk? She hadn't said a word through all of this... The speechless waitress could only shake her head, jumping as Telma came up behind her. "Who are you?" The bar keeper asked, eyeing the now standing girl.

"Name's Luna." She eyed back. Abria looked between the two and watched as they held some sort of silent conversation. Telma nodded and turned to the confused waitress. "Abria." She looked back at the girl. "I think we'll be having another guest tonight."

Yes, this was probably the way she hired people...

**Well, I've never been good with first chappys... And yes, Luna's in this. I'm kinda redoing her character... And don't worry, I think I've got a good way of putting the other OC's in the next two or three chappys. Oh, and please review! I like to know how my first chappy is! Zelda will be there soon. Link will take a while... Sowwy... And, I really hope I didn't fail… ;_; **

**~TheTwilightWarrior**


	2. Running

**Hiya! Well, chappy two! We might get some plot here, I hope... If not now then the next. But my muse might run away with my mind! XD And by the way, I'm kind of a novice writer, all that's on this site is the only real writing experience I've ever had, so If I'm writing badly (And I stress this all the time) Please tell me! And please forgive my failing... ;_; Also, I now have an official group on DevainART! It's Shadows-Around-Us! I hope you check it out, but since this is a new-ish story, I don't really have anything done yet... XD**

~ _Running ~_

_-Go far, safely-_

Abria eyed Luna as they sat at the small table. She had to wonder if this was what the other had felt like when she had first come... At least there was enough room for more, after the castle had been rebuilt, Telma had decided on making a few additions to the small bar. This meant a much bigger living space, even though they still ate at the little bar tables.

Telma came over to the table, gracefully holding a full tray. Complete with lamb shanks, mutton and three apples. Abria couldn't help but stare at her, how one person could carry so much and still stay on their feet! It was inhuman, and very impressive! But still, there she was, passing out the food and sitting next to them as if she hadn't just done something amazing.

"So, Hun." Did Telma just call everyone that? It was confusing, was she talking to Abria, or Luna? "Your names Luna..." That answered that. "But, I'm gonna need to know more about you if you're staying here." She raised an eyebrow at the girl, who was now digging into a lamb shank. Abria was sure Telma took note of this; this 'Luna' looked as though she hadn't eaten in days...

The girl swallowed hard, her face read 'to much food at once' as she looked back at the bar keeper. "Where do you want me to start? Ma'am?" Oh wow, she actually showed some sign of manners... Strange, for a second, a ping of pity ran through Abria. That girl seemed nice enough, just a little... Secretive. But all those people ran away from her yelling "Beast!" And she was hardly a beast at all.

Telma sighed; she had obviously not been expecting that answer. "Well... How about... The whole thing." She paused, catching confused looks from both girls. "Your whole life. As far as you can remember." Luna widened her eyes at this. Whole life? That was near impossible...

"How 'bout just this week?" She asked cautiously. She could tell her everything! If Telma said she had to, she would lie. Plain and simple, she was a beast. She would be out of this bar and heading to Hyrule Castle before dawn tomorrow. But they didn't need to know that...

Telma nodded. "I suppose it's a bit much to ask for someone's whole life..." She paused when Luna let out a sigh of relief. "This week is fine, and you can make it short. But I'd like to know about... Um..." She reached over the table and brushed the dark brown bangs out of Luna's eye. "This."

The girl in question flinched away from Telma and quickly hid her eye. She immediately turned dark. "You heard the men." She paused and lowered her head. "I'm a beast." Icy venom laced her voice, she was obviously unhappy with the question... It was nearly scary...

Telma raised an eyebrow. This was the point where Telma would get to know what she wanted. Abria could clearly remember this trick; Telma would make her angry, then, make her happy. And finally get every inch of information that she needed, or wanted. "You don't look like a beast to me." Luna sat back in her chair, waiting for the keeper to continue. "You look like a girl who's only seen around... Hm. How many years?"

The girl shook her head. "Never really kept track." How strange... She didn't keep track of how old she was? Who does that? "If I had to say... Fourteen." She muttered. At least she had some type of estimate.

"Well." Telma paused. By this time, Abria was getting a cramp in her neck from looking back between the two... "That's awful young... Where're parents?" This was getting to the part where Telma got what she wanted to know...

Luna shrugged. "Never met'em." She paused and looked away. "Miss Telma. I'd like to continue this tomorrow. I am rather... Tired" That was sudden... No one had ever beaten Telma at her own game, this girl was good... She must really not want to answer... And Telma wouldn't say no to letting her go, it just wasn't like her.

Abria caught the widen in the keepers eyes, she hadn't been expecting that either. But she slowly nodded her head and waved her hand towards the back door. "Second one, to the left." She watched the brunette get up and make her way to her escape. She swung open the door and disappeared behind its slam.

Abria shook her head. "What a peculiar girl..." She trailed off, turning her attention back to the bar keep. "Telma... What happened?" The bar keeper sighed and shook her head. She didn't look like her perfect plan had just failed, in fact. She looked more like she didn't care...

"Let's not trouble ourselves with it. She won't be here tomorrow anyway..." The woman walked away and began wiping the counter with a spare cloth. Abria, on the other hand, didn't like that answer. With a very confused look, she hurried after the keeper and stood behind her.

"B-But... She said she would be here tomorrow! And-And-" Telma held up her hand to shush the flustered girl. "Hun, just put her out of your head. She's a loner; she doesn't want to tell anyone anything. And a girl like her isn't going to stay the night only to get up and talk again!" She was partially grinning at the confused waitress staring back at her.

"But-" Telma cut her off once again and clapped a hand over her mouth. She shook her head at the girl, obviously faking disappointment. "Abria!" The waitress looked at her, muffled noise replaced a response. "Just go to bed..."

...

Taking some good advice, Abria was now laying in her bed. She was staring at the straw ceiling, for some reason, she couldn't get that girl out of her head. Why was she leaving? As strange as it seemed, Abria felt like she knew her... Like they should leave, only certain things could make her feel like that. Like family... It was that girl, and the beggar boy in front of the fortune shop...

She sighed; she could feel no sleep coming... She turned back and forth, finally giving in to the nagging in her throat for water. She stepped out of the bed and look around, carefully tip-toeing out to the bar. It was much too dark, so she had issues not tripping over her own feet.

But finally making it to behind the counter, she managed to pull out a mug and find the water pail. She found herself extremely thankful that Shad had filled up the bucket before he went to bed. She would have gone out, with Hyrule falling so much, going out before dawn was suicide.

Abria sat at the bar stool, not feeling like going back to a sleepless bed that awaited her. She looked up from her glass, only to be greeted by the fiery green eye of the supposedly runaway girl.

Startled by how she had snuck up to her, without a single sound. Abria of course, dropped the glass, spilling the water and shattering the glass. She slammed her head into the counter top. "Aren't you supposed to be gone now?" She scoffed.

"Come with me." Luna stared at her as she kneeled on the oak floor, grabbing a rag and wiping up the water and glass. Abria nearly laughed, go with her? And leave this place, and all the people who had become her family? She couldn't possible! Besides, she was probably just going to walk around Hyrule field all day.

"No." She stated. Standing back up and facing the girl, her hands filled with the broken pieces of what was once a mug. "I'd rather not wander Hyrule when I could be here." She threw the glass filled rag in the old bucket of trash and turned to see the girl's reaction.

"You're a healer." She paused as Abria leaned back against the counter, folding her arms and raising an eyebrow. "I'm not wandering Hyrule... I'm going to the castle." This sparked some interest, why would a girl like her. Not to be rude, but why would a half beast, be going to the castle?

Abria leaned up, obviously wishing to know more. "What would you be doing in Hyrule castle?" She paused as a thought occurred to her. "The princess?" She whispered as her eyes lit up and she leaned forward. Luna had to wonder why she was whispering, it wasn't as though anyone could hear them.

She shoved the thought out of her head and continued. "Yes. The castle has been requesting healers, the princess is... Very ill. No one has been able to heal her so far..." She paused as the two took a moment of silence for Hyrule's best princess. "But you... You are a strong healer. You could try..."

Said healer back away, was she truly considering this? Leaving here in the dead of night... Could she? The princess was ill, and Abria had been practicing healing magic her whole life. She was stronger than most healers... And meeting the princess would mean that she could ask her to teach some of her healing secrets... Princess Zelda _was_ the best healer in Hyrule.

"I... I can't believe it... But, I'll go." She felt numb, was she really doing this? Or was she just dreaming...? Everything felt real, she just didn't think she should be doing this... But, apparently 'I'll go' meant no waiting to Luna. She had already grabbed the waitresses arm and was pulling her towards the door.

"We must go quickly..."

**WOOOH! Two chappys done, a whole lot more to go! Updates will be every Tuesday possible. Please review and tell me if I'm a failing, or doing well! I'd seriously like to know... Hope you like it so far though...**

**~TheTwilightWarrior**


	3. Attempt

**Hiya! Well, chappy three as promised. Please check me out on Devaintart, sometimes, I post a new chappy there, before I do here...**

~ Attempt ~

-Always do it-

They stole through the night, twinkling stars lit their path. They had only enough time to grab two cloaks, Luna's sword and Abria's healing book. The waitress had complained about this at first, but she had gotten it scared out of her by the shady men eyeing them as they walked by.

Luna was keeping a straight face as they rushed along, completely ignoring the men. Whilst Abria was practically shaking, she was cowering from the deadly gazes of the ruffians. She looked up at the girl leading her, she shouldn't have come... But, at least she chose this time to run. A time with someone who knew how to use a sword, and knew their way around.

A shiver ran down the former waitress's spine as they passed a particularly forbidding man. This was so horrid, what had she done? She had been so happy in that little bar, as vulgar as it sounded. Why had she left Telma...? The bar keeper had been so kind to her, and she just walked out in the dead of night? At least, before they left, Luna had thrown a tattered sack of rupees on the counter... But it was such a small amount...

Abria held a silent victory as the castle gates appeared, cutting through that horrid darkness that only the street lights dimmed. Two guards were stationed outside, perfect still statues holding spears. Another chill ran down her spine, they looked so frightening...

Luna slowly walked up to one of them, his helmet shaded in his face, adding to the eerie aura surrounding him. The two girls nearly shrank back from him, Luna trying to hold her ground just to get his attention.

His head turned towards them, finally breaking the stony figure he was holding. "What business do you 'ave?" He scoffed. They couldn't blame him for sounding irritated, seeing two girls out at this hour was probably annoying them. The no good Soldiers of Hyrule, were known for the skill of sleeping while standing, sure to be great when used for protecting the princes. In fact... That was exactly what the other guard was doing, lightly snoring as his head bobbed up and down in rhythm.

Luna stepped forward, dragging Abria behind her."She is a healer." She gestured to the shaking girl now next to her. The soldier raised an eyebrow and nodded, pointing at the former waitress. "She can go in." He turned to Luna, his lip curled into a slight snarl. "But why are you 'ere?" He opened the gate, motioning for Abria to go in, and then refocusing his gaze on the half-cat to await her answer.

"I am her guard." Abria caught the 'go along with it' look the girl was shooting her. Guard... They hadn't said anything of the sort; she must have been planning this... "Healers can't travel alone, you should know that." The two had a momentary stare-down, and if looks could kill, Abria was sure there would be two dead bodies in front of her.

"You may go as well." He muttered, a certain stinging venom trailed his voice as he continued holding the large door. A slight nod was given as the two girls passed by the guard, his and Luna's eyes never unlocking until the gate was shut and they were found standing in the courtyard.

They gazed in awe at the size of the land; trees were placed in perfect harmony with the shrubbery. Wall torches lined the castle, hardly cutting the threatening shadows the shrouded over them. The dimmed light was just barely enough to find their way to the second set of doors. A sense of déjà-vu hit them as they spotted the identical set of guards lining the the outer edge of the door.

Abria paused at the sight, she hated that first guard, and she didn't want to go through that again... It wasn't even that much of an issue, but all that stress from leaving the bar was definitely getting to her. A sense of dread washed over as the approached the statue-like men. A moment's pause was held as they took in the sight of the castle. Sure, they saw it nearly every day, but never from so close. And it had never looked so big...

But nothing happened, not a single note of dialogue, only a silent exchange. They only had to watch as the men pulled open the doors and waited for them to enter. Stepping into the castle felt like stepping from a cold winter night, into a warm little home, welcoming the two runaways to its candle lit walls.

They had just enough time to take a breath before a frantic maid came running up to them. "More healers?" She mumbled, mostly to herself. Her eyes darted about the two girls, landing on the healing book crushed in the vice grip of the nervous healer. An odd sense relief filled the maid as she spotted this, but that couldn't last very long. She turned to Luna, seeing as she had no healing book. "What are you?" She inquired.

The half-cat managed to mask a sigh. "Guard." She mumbled, hoping the woman wouldn't ask further. Of course, she didn't look like she had time to continue with this interrogation. She quickly grabbed both their arms and hauled them towards the stairs. "Follow me." She whispered. Now it was both their turns to resist the urge to say something smart, like how she was dragging them, they had to follow her...

They had never been as thankful as when they got to the end of the last flight of stairs. That maid, she had gone so fast without running, it was nearly inhuman! They had gone through, four sets of stairs and at least eight corridors. The maid finally let go of their now aching arms and knocked on the surprisingly small door, they took notice of how quite up here... The castle looked big enough, but the inside... It was much too big, much.

The door peeped open as another maid stuck her head out. She looked so scared when she fully opened it, fear that perhaps the princess was sicker then they let the country know suddenly hit them. And it was all too possible, she could be on her death bed and they could just feed the people that she had a small cold...

"Don't worry." The maid paused as her eyes traced a line to the pale figure lying in the bed. "You can't catch it, it's too rare..." She continued to stare at the princess as the second maid rushed by her, taking a place next to yet, another maid. She dipped a white cloth in a small pail and lightly dabbed the ruler's forehead, her eyes shown with fear. Pure, cold fear...

The awe struck girls were given a small push from their frozen spots by the first maid. Finally entering the room, Abria glanced at Luna; the candle light flickered on hard features. Although it was easy to tell she was trying to hide the unavoidable sadness of seeing the ruler of your country, burning with fever on a bed.

Abria cautiously stepped up to the princess. The ruler's hair was slung over the pillow, clumping together in cold sweat, her paling face contorted in a mix of pain and despair. Parted lips showed that all other airways had been blocked. It was a wonder Abria wasn't crying, the sight was truly heart breaking, especially to a healer. A maid looked hopefully up at her. "Can you heal her?"

The healer in question was now frozen; she was beginning to look similar to the fallen princess. "I-I'll..." She swallowed hard. "I'll, try..." She was shaking like crazy at this point, and the poor maid was shaking worse. Many healers had come, and run away at the sight of the princess... They never even tried to heal her... But this one, this healer was strong. She wouldn't run... Hopefully...

Abria paused and opened the book, the pages shook from the scared hand that held them. She came a bit closer to the bed and shut her eyes, taking several deep breaths before pausing. The room stood still, Luna had been between backing away and stepping forward, the maids were wringing their dresses...

Ancient Hylian words formed in the healer's mouth and flowed freely from her lips, glowing white magic lining her pale hands as she lowered them to the forehead of the ruler. The magic flowed through the woman, filling her with the glowing white and draining the healer. Abria stayed there, locked into the Hylain words, so wrapped in her spell she hardly noticed how faint she felt. Only realizing when exhaustion washed over her and she fell to the floor.

It was only a temporary faintness; she was up in a matter of seconds. Horribly depressed that she couldn't do a thing. She sighed and shamefully looked up at the saddened maids, how could she face them now? She had failed them; she couldn't even help them...

But they didn't look sad, they looked shocked! "I've never seen so much power in a spell, than by the princess herself..." One of them trailed off. This reassured the healer as she straitened herself, turning slightly as Luna came up behind her. "You tried, that is all we needed." She paused and nodded towards the maids, they nodded in return. It was so strange how Luna managed to hold so many conversations with any dialogue...

The half-cat turned to the door and led the healer away. Abria sighed and gave a small wave to the maids and followed Luna out the door, she was stopped by the girl holding out her arm and held a finger to her lips.

Now, once the door was closed, half the hallway became completely shadowed over. Nothing could be seen, until a sandaled shoe creped from the shroud... Their eyes followed the foot up as the figure of boy appeared from the shadows...

Luna growled at him, but he boldly stepped up to her and stared her in the eyes. He was at least four inches taller than her; making whatever was to come seemed unevenly matched. She continued to growl, him simply continuing to staring at her. Then he simply broke eye contact and looked at a spacing Abria. "I saw what you did." He paused. "You're strong... I need you." He stepped up to the small healer.

Luna jumped between the two, holding her unsheathed sword to his neck. "Explain." She demanded, backing him into the corner. For one who was being held at sword point, he was certainly calm... His eyes darted to the door; he must not want the maids to know what he was doing...

"Allow me to introduce myself." He held up one finger and lightly pushed away the sword. "I am Alfons." He bowed. "Direct servant to the princess herself." When he looked back up at the two girls, his eyes had changed... He looked... Sad, just like the maids...

Luna sheathed her sword and put her hands on her hips, obviously questioning him for more, in her silent manner. He stole another glance at the door and leaned into them before continuing. "You know of the princess's current state, no?" He whispered, fear edging his voice. "I've been in the castle library, for days now! And I do believe I know the cure..." He paused, checking to see if he had lost their interest. "It is... An herb. And a very rare one, I'm not sure where to find it... But it should be somewhere near a forest..." He scrunched up his nose, in deep thought.

Abria stepped up to the troubled servant. "Alfons..." She glanced over her shoulder at the half-cat, checking to see if she was giving her a 'say nothing' look. She saw nothing of the sort; Luna was simply watching them, a rather bored look on her face. "I understand, but... Why do you need us?" The burning question... Now Luna stepped forward next to the healer, not wanting to miss the answer.

Alfons shuffled his feet, his features slowly changing to nervous. "This journey... It will be long." He paused, searching for words. "I've seen many a healer come, and many more go. But you..." He pointed to Abria. "You are the strongest one... And you..." He pointed to Luna. "Those sword skills... You knew I was in that corner; your blade never wavered when you held it... You're strong as well." He sighed, still trying to find correct words. "It is not a one person job. Nor two, three is the minimum... I need your help, for the princess of Hyrule. Come with me."

Another sense of déjà-vu hit Abria, Luna had said this... And she had gotten them into Hyrule Castle... But now, when he asked that they go, there was no hesitation. They said yes without a second thought.

Alfons led them through the halls this time. The only thing was that the castle was so big, it actually looked different... He stopped in front of a heavy wooden door and stepped in, holding up his finger telling them to wait.

After several minutes, he finally came back out. Holding a sword and sheath, strapping the items across his chest he handed Abria and Luna each one book. They looked at them, not knowing what to do with them. "Yours is a healing book." He looked at Abria. "The princess's..." A mischievous grin appearing at the corners of his lips. "And yours..." He turned to Luna. "It's the book with the picture of the herb..." He looked away from them. "But you see... I have no map..."

Abria opened her mouth to speak; of course Luna beat her to it. "I've a map right here." She held a grin equal to the servants. She reached into her bag, trading the book for a rolled up piece of parchment, unraveling it to reveal... "Is that..." Abria gasped. "That's the map from the bar!" She yelled, slapping the half-cat on the shoulder, causing her to hiss and bare her teeth.

The healer quickly let this go and stared at the book in her hands, a sense of disbelief hit her. "Is it truly the princess's?" She questioned the serving boy. If it was in fact the princess, it wouldn't work... Healing books for higher ups, like nobles and royalty, were tailored to them. Not a single soul besides themselves could successfully use them.

Alfons nodded. "It is." He stated, holding up his hand when Abria opened her mouth in protest. "But, it will work." He paused, watching the healer raise her eyebrow. "Those tales of custom healing books are just things nobles say to seem more... High and mighty." He paused when they snickered. "It's made for power. You have just enough to use the princess's."

Luna stepped up to him. "You'd take Princess Zelda's healing book?" She scoffed. "And I thought you were the faithful one." She turned away from, but he caught the mischievous glint in her eyes. "Come now, it's getting early... And I... Dislike traveling by light."

Abria was taken aback by this, not only was that the oddest thing she had ever heard. But it was the most Luna had ever said at once! "You... Dislike traveling by, light?" She asked, trailing behind the cat, who nodded ever so slightly.

Apparently, that was the most she would ever say...

But there it was... That feeling, in all of them... Like they were seeing a friend that had missing for years... Or walking into your home after traveling Hyrule... What was it? It was so odd... They ignored it, no matter how much it nagged at them...

**.com Please go there on the off chance that I put up chappy four. And if you could review, it'd make me so happy, you wouldn't belive it.**

**~TheTwilightWarrior**


	4. Restless

**Hiya! I got a review! I decided to update a little early! ^^ Thanks so much for the review! Also, there's a group on deviant ART for this story if you like it! Just look up TheTwilightWarrior on deviant ART and it'll be on mah profile! One of the things I stress the most is how I write, so tell me if I'm doin' good, or failing horribly! Thanks again for reading!**

_~ Restless ~ _

_-You are for a reason-_

Coins rattling about in the many early-bird Hylians pockets. Coins that a beggar wished to have clanking in his own, rusted cup. His sharp eyes flashed through many people carelessly passing him by, occasionally turning up their noses in distaste for the 'beast' that sat there. Yes, a beast is what they liked to call him, a terror to the city and scum on the street...

One small, ragged dressed girl approached him. A small, shy smile gracing over tiny features, her shining eyes made the beggar wish to smile as well. She looked in his strange, blue-black eyes and held out her closed hand, dropping a single coin in his cup.

_Innocence, _He thought. That's what she was, a little child, so young she was still oblivious to the horrors of the world... Her big smile stayed on her face, and eventually the beggar broke. He smiled at her, almost laughing, only revealing the one cursed fang. The girls face changed in an instant to fear, the beggar-boy shut his mouth as soon as he realized what he'd done. "No, wait...!" He held up his hand when the girl turned to run away from the beast. His pea fell on deaf ears; he was left to watch her tiny figure disappear in a sea of people.

He held a silent prayer that the girl would never suffer the way he did, and she would keep that innocence for the rest of her life. His eyes stayed shut as he flopped his head back, his ears twitched at the sound of near footsteps. "Lot?" A light female voice tore his eyes open and forced the cursed smile back on his face. "Lady Myra!" He yelled waving to the young woman standing before him.

She smiled at him as he stood, brushing off his old mangy tunic and wrapping her in a light hug. "Lot!" She giggled. "It's been too long. Tell me, what's the news in our dear Hyrule?" She asked, pulling away from his friendly hug. The beggar, Lot, let a shadow cast over his face. One thing of being a beggar was all the things you hear when people passed by. And having beast ears, he heard much more then most expected. "Not good..." He sighed. Watching the girl let a frown sneak onto her face.

"Oh... Well, how's the princess?" She asked a hint of urgency in her voice. "She must be at least a bit better... All those healers... And more on the way! I passed tons of wagons on the way, all loaded with healing books...!" She trailed off, saddening at his shaking head.

"Not a bit better." He paused, leaning in close and whispering in her ear. "And a few women have been gossiping about her best servant running off just last night!" He leaned away from her, glancing to make sure no one was paying them any mind. "But I'm not sure how a bunch of busy-bodies could find that out so fast..." He pulled away from her once again.

"Oh Lot..." She sighed. "What's become of Hyrule?" She paused and sunk to the stony ground, staring at the flooding river of people. They were so calm... Except the frantic traders and business men. Did they even realize the fate that was befalling them? There country was tearing at the seams and they didn't even seem to care...

"Lot..." She sighed as he sat next to her, his dark blue-and-black searching her. "Can I tell you something?" As if she needed to ask, Lot was always ready to hear someone out. But no one ever really told him anything, assuming that since he was constantly getting cheated out of things, he was bound to tell their secrets. But he would never, the only thing he had never been cheated out of, was a secret.

He nodded quickly, if there was one thing he knew, it was that Myra could lose her nerve at any second. She was by far the most timed of people he had ever met; she nearly fainted when ordering lunch!

"Every day I feel like I don't belong in Hyrule..." She furrowed her brow, trying to find the best way to describe this. Lot, on the other hand, was trying to contain his excitement. He had felt this way for a long while now, an aching restlessness that wouldn't let go of his soul... "Myra..." He grinned at her puzzled expression. "I know...!" He shifted his position, turning to face the girl. Her eyes held the same glinting relief, a relief that someone knew how you felt...

"Like every day you need to get away!" He paused, watching her eyes and smile widen. "Like your home..." She opened her mouth, her rose lips tracing his words. "But you're not home..." They stared at each other for a long while after that. These few, short sentences could mean so much... Like a small, yet very large break-through... This indescribable nagging to get away, when there was nowhere to get to, was such a bother. It was so... Nice, to just be able to have someone else who felt that way.

"Lot-" She was cut off by the angry yells from a group of travelers. The small band, consisting of two females and one poor male, passed by them with hardly a thought. One girl and the unfortunate boy were arguing over some odd little book and a map, whilst the other girl was trying her best to quell the fighting. "It would be in Faron! It is found in a forest like area, the only forest in Hyrule is Faron!" The boy yelled.

"This would be too easy." The girl scoffed. "Faron is not the only sea of trees in Hyrule. I've seen many, never before have I seen this plant in Faron." She stated, stopping dead and glaring at the boy, who glared back with equal malice.

The other girl stepped between the two. "Stop it, both of you!" She boomed, shooting daggers from one to the other. "You're both acting like little children! They are far too many lush places in Hyrule that could be called 'forest'. We will go to Faron first and then trail the others!" Both arguing figures were now slightly cowering at the girl. What had just happened...? She was such a quiet healer... And she had just nearly bitten their heads off!

She promptly turned on her heels, startling when she found herself face to face with a beggar and, yet another girl... Instantly both her companions were next to her. "May we... Help you?" She asked, eyeing the strange pair and striating herself.

The beggar bowed to her. "Yes, we couldn't help but over hearing, and..." He stood, looking over the group. "We'd like to come." A scoff sounded, given by the boy. He took a step up to the beggar, eyeing the timid girl hiding behind his shoulders. He opened his mouth, ready to speak of how, while they were grateful for the offer, it was just too much of a farfetched idea, when the girl stepped directly in front of him.

She squared up the beggar. "You are a beast..." She trailed off, the usual venom that people used when saying that to him gone. "You are like me..." She paused, hesitantly brushing her bang to the side, revealing the green splintered eye that cursed her.

The beggar widened his eyes and took a step towards the girl. Their eyes searched each other; they stole glances at the swords on their waist. The black hilts lined with odd marking caused the two swords to be nearly identical, but only they took a note of that. The beggar shook his gaze and held out his hand. "Lot."

The second beast hesitantly accepted. "Luna." They lightly shook hands and turned to the ones behind them, nodding and stepping out of the way so they too could introduce. The group shook hands with the girl and the beggar, giving their names as Alfons, Abria and Luna. The girl and beggar gave theirs as Lot and Myra.

After the small meeting, they stared at each other for several moments, wondering what they were to do next. Lot exchanged a glance with his female partner and let out a roughly faked cough. "Well..." He paused, sheepishly looking at the three. "As we said, we'd like to come." He gained boldness at the end, standing tall so he was even with the boy who appeared to be in charge. Somewhat...

Of course this boy, Alfons, had been patiently waiting to make his plight. "You haven't even heard where we're going... Yet you'd so easily come?" He folded his arms and stood tall, mimicking the now-shorter-than-him-beggar. The cowering girl behind him oddly chose this time to step up. "We'd... Like to get _away _from here..." She looked down. "And we don't really care where."

Alfons seemed to break at this; he too had felt the undying urge to get away. He knew that every morning when you wake up and see the same things haunting you, the same walls surrounding you, getting seemingly closer every day. It could drive you mad, make you want to rip your hair out. So he nodded a silent acceptance and turned, looking slightly over his shoulder. "You may come." He mumbled. "But you should know what we're doing..."

He turned back, fully facing them. He gave the short, smudged tale of the princess, the 'sacred' little herb and how it was the only thing that could heal her. How the location was unknown, yet they assumed Faron to be it, and how they could waste no more time. So he of course turned and began walking away. Being trailed by four odd characters, quietly chattering among themselves.

Lot jogged up next to Alfons. "Perhaps..." He trailed off, quickening his pace to keep up with the serving boy. "Perhaps that old doctor could have one of those... Uh... Herbs." Alfons stopped to stare at him. "After all, he may be a ghastly old geezer... But has just about everything you could dream of." He paused again. "Or have night mares." A light chuckle escaped him at his own small joke.

The serving boy looked in mock surprise. "Why... I do believe you could be right..." He came to a full stop and held up a silencing hand to the group. "This journey may be a bit shorter than expected." He grinned and put a hand on Lot's shoulder. "A suggestion to go to that old coot's office and beg for an herb is in order!" He smiled and lowered his pace even more, falling amidst there group. They had all somehow managed to become friends... And so fast... But for some reason, it felt like they were just meant to be a group... Like they had known each other for years and were finally... Meeting...

"Here we are..." They stared at the little building; it was such a forbidding place to look at... They all knew the old man inside was one of the best in his profession, and also one of the most frightening. He was ruthless, in a way. Showing no compassion, and always glaring at whoever looked at him...

A girl with short strawberry-blond hair came tromping out of the office, carrying a large crate and dropping it on the curb in front of her. She dusted off her hands and looked up, finally catching sight of the odd group. She jumped a bit before resting her hands on her hips. "What do you want?" She quizzed, eyeing them warily. "You don't look like your hurt..." She raised an eyebrow at the fidgeting group.

Alfons stepped up. "We're looking for this..." He unraveled the parchment with the picture of the herb. The girl studied over it, pursing her lips and running her finger down the Hylian text. A thoughtful expression etched on her face.

"Look." She paused, backing up from the picture. "This ain't my thing. But, my brother, he'd probably know something about it." She took a step back and looked over them before turning and waving her hand for them to follow. "Come on in, but I'll warn you. The place is horrid. But my brothers in here..." She opened the door and waited for them to enter.

Once safely inside, they were hit with the ghastly smell of medical supplies wafting around the foul air, the girl slammed the door behind them and looked around. An old man came hobbling from behind the curtains dividing the 'rooms'. "Valerie!" He yelled, his glasses amplifying the glare he was shooting the red-headed girl. "I told you, never slam the do-" He caught sight of the group huddled in his small office. "Humph. Costumers, eh?" He asked. The clanking of his cane melodically hitting with the swishing of his long, gray beard.

He sat himself on the wooden stool and raised his bushy eyebrow at them. "Well, what is it you've come for?" He demanded, his strange eyes darting around the teenagers, landing on each one of them, scarring most of them to death. "Well? Out with it!"

Alfons, followed by Lot, cautiously stepped up to the graying physician. "We'd like to know if you've any of these in stock..." Alfons once again unraveled the parchment, glancing over his shoulder for the girl. Finding her red head missing from the group...

He shook away his thoughts, giving his attention back to the bespectacled man. The doctor adjusted his lenses, carefully studding the picture. He shook his head, scoffing as he turned away from them. "I'm an old man! I can't read this!" He yelled, waving his hand in distaste. "Valetin!"

A boy, with familiar red hair, being followed by the girl came walking out from behind another curtain. "Sir?" He asked, walking up to the man. The girl came walking up to the group as the physician snatched away the parchment and turned to the boy. The two began hushed whispers about the herb.

"That's my brother." The girl paused, holding out her hand. "I'm Valerie, by the way." They shook hands with her, each giving their name. "My brothers named Valetin, he's actually my twin. We live here with that old coot; sadly, Valetin wants to be some physician." She paused and rolled her eyes. "Why? I'll never know."

**Yeah, chappy four... I really hope you like it, and please review! Thanks so much!**

**~TheTwilightWarrior**


	5. Joining

**Hiya! Well, here I am! Hehe, I've been on deviant art, being artsy... Soooo, reviews? Anybody?**

_~ Joining ~_

_-It's always the better thing-_

Valetin sharply turned around, eyeing them all and firmly gripping the parchment. "Where did you get this?" He demanded, shooting the occasional dagger at his sister. "This herb... It's very rare and-" The graying doctor next him spun in his chair. "And we haven't any idea how to get it!" He snapped.

His face changed to that of a sly fox. "However..." He paused, shoving the red-headed boy towards them. "My assistant will happily accompany you, he knows the plant... If! You bring back some of that rarity for me, hmmm?" He stepped up to Alfons, his small, frail frame looking like an ant next to the tall, strong servant.

Alfons slowly glanced at the ginger-top twins, turning his gaze slowly back to the doctor. "Agreed." He held out a hastily excepted hand and nodded to the twins. "You two will be joining us?" He raised an eyebrow to them.

Valetin bowed lightly. "Yes." His manners showed broadly, while his sister nearly jumped for joy. She was feverishly shaking the servant's hand and thanking him a thousand times for 'getting her out of this rat-hole of an office.'

The doctor pulled his assistant down by his shirt. "Now you listen here boy." He hissed, a hushed whisper covering his voice. "You bring back that herb or you can kiss your job goodbye." Valetin paled at this. He loved his job, he loved learning more about people and how they worked, and he loved the way the dimly candle-lit room danced around him with all its professional glory.

"Yes sir." He swallowed hard and froze in his spot, becoming completely oblivious to the world around him. The physician scoffed and turned away from him, mumbling about how he'd better see that plant.

"Well." He stole the attention of the room. "Get on out! Nothing wrong with any of you!" He yelled, storming around them and swinging open the door. "Get!" He screeched at the poor group, chasing them away with his gruff manners. Valerie grabbed her fear stricken twin and hauled him out the door.

Abria nearly chuckled as they strolled through the busy streets, dodging people and playing children. "How that man has a career in medical profession, is a mystery to all." She grinned, coming up behind a very solemn Luna. She stared at the girl, she was strait faced and glaring at the air in front of her, how on earth could one girl give off such a forbidding air to herself...? Even Abria felt like cowering from her, and she was a full two years older than her!

The healer turned to steal a glance at Lot, he looked equally as forbidding. His eyes were piercing everything he looked at and she just couldn't understand why they were like that... Luna had always-as far as Abria knew-a rather dark one. But Lot seemed like a rather _nice _fellow, why would he suddenly become so... Cold? So hostile?

She took a brief moment from her thoughts to look farther than the two in question, she looked over their group. It had grown so fast, from the two girls wandering in the night, to the beasts, healer, servant, wanderer and assistances... They were quite the formable group at this point...

"Sir Alfons?" Came a very meek voice from the head of the group. The girl, Myra, was hurriedly trying to keep pace with the long strides of the servant who nodded his recognition. "Um... We are... Going to Faron, correct?" She asked, finding a refuge behind a certain beggar, who seemed to know exactly where she wanted him: Right where she could hide.

Alfons smiled. "Yes." He paused, noticing the way her fell. "Is... Something wrong?" A concern edging his voice. Myra shrugged quickly forcing herself to brighten, yet shirking even farther behind the beggar's shoulder. "Oh no!" She paused. "No. I'm fine... But, I do know the woods better than most... I live there, in an old little house with a man who sells lantern oil... It's rather dull, so all I ever do is wander." She stopped abruptly when she realized she was rambling. "Well, I-I've never seen that plant."

The servant nodded slowly, in obviously deep thought. "I understand... And even I am having my doubts about Faron... But we must look everywhere." He stared at the shy girl for a moment. "Are you sure there's nothing...?"

She nodded and chooses her escape, scurrying from behind the beggar and back to her normal pace. Falling directly behind Abria, she stared at her feet, listening to the odd thump of the girl next to her crashing into carts. And the apologies to the people she hit, and the angry scoffs she got in return.

She continued staring at her feet, jumping when she felt an arm get thrown around her shoulder. She turned her timid gaze up to the sly smile of a certain female red-head. "Well." She grinned. "We're traveling together I see, so... What's your name?"

Abria stepped between them, seeing the fear-stricken look on Myra's face. "I do believe the proper thing to say is what _your _name is." She stated, watching as the girl pulled away her arm and let out a huff. A sudden annoyed look painting itself on her face.

"Valerie." She paused. "Name's Valerie, happy now?" She crossed her arms and stared at the two in front of her; one of them was cowering behind the others shoulder and trying to avoid eye contact with anyone. "Now I do believe I asked for _your _names _first._" She snapped.

By this time the unseen tension between Abria and Valerie was so great, Luna was coming up behind them. She was probably just wondering if she would have to intervene and take over Abria's job of stopping fights. She watched as the healer straitened her posture and held out her hand. "My name is Abria." They slowly shook hands. "And my friend here is Myra." The cowering girl finally stepped out from her sanctuary and shook hands.

Valerie grinned and placed a finger on her chin. "Oh. A shy one?" She once again wrapped her arm around the girls shoulder, infuriating Abria and successfully annoying Luna. Abria knew how much it scared Myra to be _near _people, let alone having one's arm wrapped on her shoulder. "Well, Hun. You need to break that habit, you know."

Luna stepped between them; she hated it when people were purposely annoying. She let out a small growl, her fang peeking out of the top of her lip. Myra took this intervention to run back behind Abria and tail behind her.

Valerie raised her eyebrows at the snarling girl. "Oh, so we have a _beast _with us too?" She patted her head and put on a mock smile. "Well, aren't you a cute one. Awfully _little _for a beast, though..." Another snarl escaped the so called _beast_.

Valetin, finally catching the mess his sister was making came up behind her and grabbed her arm, pulling her away from them. They stared at each other for several seconds, Valerie impatiently tapping her foot and Valetin pinching the bridge of his nose. "... Why?" He asked.

Valerie scoffed, rolled her eyes and walked away from him, not bothering to answer, not bothering with anything. Valetin simply fell back into the mix of the group, sulking as far from his sister as possible. He mulled over the recent issue that had risen in his life; his sister, obviously. She had been so... Restless and inconsiderate, she treated everyone as if they were her own entertainment. It was endlessly annoying, and more troubling then any of the stubborn patients, or yelling doctor, or any of the other things that drove him mad.

As they neared the outer gates he sunk back into the memory of when Valerie was so much... More like her. She _was _by far the best mannered girl in the town, she would smile as people passed her by, and she would go out every day and draw water... She was perfectly happy in the back bedroom of the office... Now she complained constantly, said she wished she could get away from this place, never smiled at people and told Valetin to get the water... She would-

Alfons had stopped the entire group. "Well... Here we are..." They stared up at the looming gates, most with fear, all but Luna and Myra hadn't been out of those gates in once in their lives. seeing them now was like a standing in front of a sign that read 'Go back' Like every little fear, every stress was bubbling up to the top... Begging them to turn around, say that they couldn't go, that they _wouldn't _go...

It wasn't even supposed to take long, find the herb and get back. But for some odd reason, it felt more like they were going out on endless journey, like if they walked out those gates; nothing would be the same when they got back...

They stood in a perfect row, all gawking, only breaking the odd trance when Alfons stepped up. The servant had become something of their leader, checking that they had all they needed and leading them with a -so far- cool head. "Do we have weapons?" He searched over them, each one fiddling the belts strapped around their waist, old blades and rapiers loosely strapped on them. All save for Abria... Of course, healer weren't expected to fight combat, they were meant to go in battle, be guarded by one warrior as they ran about healing.

Alfons nodded at the shuffling healer, showing that she was fine with no weapon. "We should assign positions." He paused. "It's a straight shot out that gate to Faron in three days... Somehow I get the feeling we won't be the only ones making this trip..." He trailed off, stealing a glance at the forbidding, looming gate. "We'll need to figure out who's leading, who's guarding our healer, and who's paired with whom." Another glance at the gate. "So... We have two... Beast, both with finely crafted swords, much stronger than ours... Myra and Valerie both have rapiers... Both I and Valetin hold swords... So, who would like to guard our healer?"

Nobody said a word. Being a healer guard, as they were called, meant a limited amount of battle you could get into, and more enemies. All enemies always went straight towards the healer; they were powerless and would make for an easy drop in numbers, the perfect target.

Noticing the odd lack of volunteers, Abria cleared her throat, stepped forward and eyed Luna and Lot "I would prefer one of those two be guarding me." She stated, her piercing gaze going from one shuffling beast to the other. Alfons nodded his understanding, silently giving the healer permission to pick her take.

The healers gaze settled on her pick. "Luna." She paused, her eyes softening before shooting a glare at a very pleased Lot."Would you mind?" She asked, a motherly tone lacing her soft voice. The beast nervously shuffled her feet, taking a sudden interest in the stone road. Then, in an instant, she froze, her eyes regaining the sharp coldness they always held. She bowed slightly and nodded to the healer, stepping next to her and locking her eyes in front.

"Surely you jest!" a certain ginger haired girl yelled. "You're really going to put the youngest, smallest beast we have, and put her in front of the fifteen enemies that'll be coming towards our healer?" Her eyes darted between the small group, looking for someone to share her view. Seeing as no one seemed to be in agreement, she scoffed, crossed her arms and lowered her voice. "You'll be counting two losses with that plan." A growl escaped the beast as she stood next to the healer.

Alfons stared at Valerie, almost with a glare. "Abria may choose who ever she wishes." He stated, stealing glances at the healer. "It's her right." A hand was placed on Valerie's shoulder, causing her to jump and jerk her head around. Soon, her disapproving glare turned to meet the soft eyes of her brother and she slowly gave into to him leading her back in their 'line'.

The matter was forgotten and for a moment they were all deadly silent, before Alfons took another step towards them as he always did. "We'll also need a leader, of sorts..." He trailed off, patiently awaited whatever might be said, fearing that he could be booted from his adopted position. They mumbled about this, trying to find a rational reason of who would lead them, or why they even needed leading, but despite the doubt of the question, none could find a good reason to _not _just leave Alfons in the position. After all, he was the oldest, he was the most noble, and anyone else would end up yelling, except him...

So, of course, Abria was the first to nominate him, then Lot, then Luna, Myra, Valetin. Then last, and certainly the least enthusiastic about this, Valerie. The girl had only been convinced by her brothers constant prodding; she had nominated herself and was rather cross to find no one voted for her. Still, fighting a losing battle was worse than getting no votes, her hand had been slowly raised as a flag of the servants victory and the offical-ness of their group.

They had set off at once, a wave of calm washing over them as the over head stones of the once forbidding gate. Odd as it may seem, having someone _officially _in the lead, was much more comforting then being led by whoever happen to be in front.

The sun crashed into them, like a wave of warm welcoming. It amazed them how much darker the city was, the comparison made it feel like dusk in the town and the sun was crashing to the earth outside the gates! Of course... This was short lived.

As they stood there enjoying their first steps outside the gate, and basking in the otherwise unknown sunlight, a piercing laughter filled their ears. They were forced onto the ground by a sudden series of small quakes rattling the ground, shaking them like bugs in a cage.

"I'll warn you kids." A female voice shot their eyes open as the earth regained its coolness, they finally found the time to stand, and of course they quickly wished they hadn't. Swords were drawn immediately and soon they all stood back-t-back in a small circle. At least twenty bublins and bulbos were surrounding them, lining the edges of some odd, red weaving barrier, caging them even more. And in the midst of it all, a woman, beautiful, perfectly shaped woman. Her only disfeature was a black, engraved helmet, just wide enough to cover her ears and let one thick bang hang through to her forehead.

She held a lance, dripping with a purple slime like liquid, matching her piercing purple eyes. A cackle escaped her. "I'll warn you, you're getting into something much deeper than your little hunt in the woods..." Another horrid cackle a she held the lance close to her mouth and slowly licked off the slime before disappearing in a cloud of mist.

For moments they were quiet, as if the whole earth was standing still, they were left wide eyed at the place where the woman had been standing. The only thing that managed to snap them out of their trance was the grunts and shrieks of slowly closing in bulblins, hitting there crudely made clubs into their hands. "Surrounded..." Lot whispered as Myra coward behind his shoulder. By this time they had subconsciously scrambled to their positions, Luna in front of Abria and Valerie next to Valetin, Alfons standing, with sword drawn and ready to give the order.

The bublins pressed closer and closer, nearly suffocating them between the never ending screeching and grunting. Closer... Closer... _Closer_... Every heartbeat could be heard and every breath was taken. Alfons gripped his sword, a line of sweat appearing on his brow before yelling a very deafened order. _"Now!"_

**CLIFFY! XD Well, will you please review? I'd be awesome, every time a see that lovely 'review alert' I do a happy dance! Also, I'm using a new spell-check program, so I might have a few errors... ^^'^^ So... Please review, I like knowing if I'm failing or not... XD**

**~TheTwilightWarrior**


	6. Fighting

**Hiya! Well, was that last one cliffy enough? I'll warn you of my poor battle skills *Shun* But I will beg for REVIEWS! *Faints***

_~ Fighting ~_

_-Avoid it when possible; fight it when you have to-_

Clashing metal was heard immediately, burning into their eardrums and striking fear into their hearts. They had managed to stay in their small circle, just trying to slowly decrease enemy numbers and stay alive. Bruises were received and blood was spilled in a matter of seconds, Abria had been running back and forth between the battles with Luna running circles around her slicing through the bublins who hoped to get through to the healer.

They were surprisingly good with their swords, handling them with skill and getting to the point of a near guaranteed victory. A swing here, a slash there... Bulblins were easy kills, to put it bluntly, but they came in large numbers making it difficult to fight them all off. Bulblins were a tricky sort, they were too easy, and people fighting them got cocky and then got overwhelmed with the number, then ended up defeated.

But they were, for some reason, already aware of this, they stayed ready and cautious. Like some long delayed program finally booting in, slapping them all in the face, telling them it was time to wake up... Get on with what you'd been doing, but never actually done...

Another slice, a sudden twang as an arrow was shot, grazing Valetin in the shoulder and successfully sending them in a small panic. "Archers!" He yelled, pointing to the tops of the dark, black pillars that held the glowing red barrier around them. Promptly seated on every post was a snarling bulblin archer, glaring at them with their beady red eyes, pulling back the strings of the bows and letting arrows fly.

Amazingly, they only suffered minor scratches from the barrage of arrows; the only concern was how to be rid of the perched monsters... Another instinct seemed to kick in the two beast of the group as they quickly shifted forms, a proud lion-like creature stood in place of Lot as a low growl sounded from his throat. In Luna's place a slightly small, sly looking black panther-like beast, hissing at every archer in her line of vision. Each one with their own glowing markings, Luna's green, Lot's blue, together they made an awfully intimidating pair...

They each reared back as they leaped to the red, echoing walls. Running along hopping from pillar to pillar, killing the bulblins with a nearly frightening amount of ease. The beast landed directly back in their positions, already shifted to humans, panting and wild eyed. But still human.

In the short time it had taken them, the battle had come to an odd stand still. Now, they found themselves charged with new enemies, the same old bulblin, holding their traditionally weapons. But with glowing purple eyes to match the woman's, the same purple substance dripping from the axes and clubs. "Poison!" Valerie yelled, finally realizing were she had seen this before. "Don't let it touch you!" That poison was the poison of the Deku Baba. While most thought their poison to be only a tool for more pain, and having very minor effects, they were actually right and wrong. The Deku Baba held a secret, when killed and handled correctly; they could produce such an extremely deadly toxin, it killed whoever touched it.

So of course, they were now in a very deadly battle. With all the scratches and cuts they had received and simply blown off, thinking that of they even got _one _little scratch they were dead men. A chill ran down each of their spines as they came in their circle even further. Alfons looked on either side of him, Myra was ringing her sword and practically glued to Lot's side. Valetin was slowly edging his way in front of Valerie, successfully annoying the red-head. "Ready?" Alfons craned his neck to see the multiple hesitant nods.

Perhaps this was all a bad idea... They could all die in the next fifteen minutes, and their little quest would be a waste of seven perfectly good lives... The herb would never be found and the princess would most likely perish... _The princess..._

That thought got the servant back to his Alfons mind set. He had sworn eternal loyalty to Princess Zelda herself, if dying here meant the possibility of her death; he would be walking away from this fight. They would all be walking away.

"Stay on your toes and stay safe..." He mumbled; sweat forming on the edge of his brow. He rang the handle of his sword, gripping with ever growing fear, fear that seemed to be in every one of their eyes. A total of ten bublins, much less than before, but much more deadly. Ten to seven... They could each do one, then just randomly take care of the remaining three... The odds were stacked however you choose to look at it; odds were good in the number ratio. Ten bublins could be killed by one person alone. Odds were bad in the fact that, if they so much as _touched _the weapons, they would die with no chance of life.

Abria was scanning through her healing book, looking for the most powerful spells she could find, hoping that by chance the princess might have found something for deadly toxin. Luna was standing close by her, snarling at the bublins, trying to hide the fear showing bright in her sharp eyes.

Three seconds passed before the first bublin let out a battle cry. Charging them, signaling the rest of its group into action, swinging their weapons in a wild untrained manner. They must know that a scratch would end the battle; they were being carless, trying only to break skin. This also happens to make every one of their movements oddly predictable and easy to block.

Three seconds ago everything was at a standstill, three seconds later and the calm was washed away in a sea of clashing weapons. Thankfully the poison didn't drip, that was a concern that they had avoided mentioning in fear of causing more fear. If it did drip, it would be the bane of their existence; the clashing would cause a back-splash, soaking them in poison.

After many freighting minutes, only two bublins remained. Surprisingly, Myra managed the first one, her light figure making her much too fast for a slow, dull-witted bublin. She had used the old trick of rolling behind it and ending it without much trouble at all. The second one was killed by Valerie and Valetin. The two had run circles around the creature, confusing it enough to easily, utterly, destroy it.

The barrier vanished in an instant, another female cackle rung through the air. "Better than I thought you'd be..." A swirl of bubbling purple formed on the ground as the woman rose out of it. Her wild purple eyes gleamed with malice and deviousness. She chewed her purple lips as she licked the poison off her intricate dark lance. "I suppose they were right..." Yet another cackle. "I'll be seeing you again, hmph... Tell me, have you ever heard that old legend...?" She question, getting her answer from the confused stares she received. "Well, that's too bad... For now I'll just give you a little gift."

Every hand tightened its grip around their blades as the woman hesitantly licked off more poison. Alfons, strangling his sword, took several cautious steps toward her. "Just _who _are you...?" His demand came out more like a small, unimportant question.

A pause as she focused an insane stare at him. Her eyes turned a ghastly glowing yellow as she let out what was by far the most horrid hiss ever heard, baring two dangerously sharp, long fangs. A forked tongue peeked out from behind the fangs before she regained control over herself, her eyes changing that same odd shade of purple. Her fangs receding and her features softened into a maniacal grin at the serving boys terror stricken face. "Surprise..."

She cackled again, thankfully for the finally time as she twirled back into the spiraling pool she'd appeared from. A flash of light and of course, another cackle, she was gone... But of course, not without leaving behind her 'gift'.

A primly placed glass vile sat perfectly seated in the grass. Filled to the brim with that same purple poison, a red bow tying a pure white note to the cork. They stared at it in utter disbelief, why on earth would she leave behind poison, in a bottle? Alfons shook his head and turned toward the field. "Just leave it." He paused as he received the many confused looks from his comrades. "It's not worth the risk."

A moment's hesitation and they all obediently followed behind the serving boy. Abria strolled between them, healing whatever small injuries they may have, finding herself very pleased with the strength from the princess's healing book, a pompous expression had found its way to her features.

"In around two hours we should set camp." Alfons stated, glancing over his shoulder to see if there were any of those, silent, comments he had grown so used to. No one seemed to object, their first battle meant that they could probably drop unconscious right there, when given the order.

...

By the time two hours had passed, they were half way through the Lanayru province. Headed towards Faron and nearly able to see the tips of trees on the horizon, they stopped under the shade of an old tree. Happily settling into the soft, welcoming grass, a lack of blankets, sleeping bags and tents made even the hardest earth seem like a five star inn.

The two beast of the group were lazily rolling around in the emerald fluff, creating something of a bed for themselves. A cool breeze whistled through the branches as they settled in, Myra and Abria had gone out for fire wood and were now returning. Arms loaded and chatting away, Valerie was leaned against the tree, examining her finger nails and yawning as much as possible.

The remaining men were seated around the make-shift fire pit they'd made, from old stones scattered about the Hylian field. They were shining swords and talking about all the things that could stand in their way if the herb _wasn't _in Faron. One major issue was that they were all lacking in funds, it was late summer and depending on how long it may take them, they could be stuck in winter with no form of shelter. Another thing would be that woman; she had set a deep fear in all of them with her little 'You're getting into something much deeper than your little hunt in the woods...' spiel. Something deep inside told them she wasn't lying, that just caused more anxiety.

Myra smiled as she tossed the wood into the fire, she giggled at something Abria had told her and instantly Valerie was butting in their conversation. Lot came up behind them, shifted back to his human form, smiling at them and allowing himself into this 'oh-so-interesting' discussion.

Soon the entire group was chattering around the dry pit of wood. Alfons scraped a rock he'd worn as a necklace against one of the fire-pit. A spark flew off and hit a leaf, setting it ablaze in the bed of wood, sending a roaring fire up in front of them. A small amount of applause were given as they all crowded around, sighing as they slouched back in their spots.

"So." Began a very bored Lot. "Abria, how's about telling us about that dear book of yours?" He smiled, eyeing the velvet backed book, clutched to the girl stomach. She grinned and flipped through the pages, her eyes scanning over them until she seemed satisfied.

"Here." She paused, holding the open book for all to see. She flipped through several more pages, revealing the back bit of the book to be left completely blank. "This one just happens to be the princess's." She sighed, laying the book in front of her. "You see, healers can always come up with different things to heal different things. When a healer gets a healing book, it's completely blank; our job as healers is to fill it with whatever research we've done on healing spells." She took in a breath and glanced at the curious faces around her. "The princess has _much _more in hers than I've ever seen... She's truly the strongest healer in Hyrule..."

Alfons grinned, closing his eyes and leaning against the tree. "Indeed she is..." He trailed off, letting out a deep, content sigh. Lot crawled over to the servant and slapped his shoulder. "Tell me, do you love our dear princess?" He chuckled at the very angry glare he received.

Alfons sighed, his brow crinkling in displeasure. "Why does everyone think such foolish things...?" He question, peeking one eye open for an answer. He glanced between their group, eyeing Valerie as she scoffed and leaned forward. "You certainly make it seem so." She stated, getting lightly pushed back to her spot by Valetin.

Alfons sighed, opening both eyes and gazing at the painted sunset. It was splattered across the sky, smudges of orange and purple, backed by reds and pinks... Hyrule was truly beautiful at _Twilight..._ "Well, if pledging loyalty means getting accused of falling in love with a ruler, then I suppose it's the path I choose." He rolled onto his side, just as the quickly falling sun sunk beneath the mountain tops. "Let's call it a night. We leave early tomorrow."

Many agreeing nods were given, Luna and Lot both shifted, curling themselves in the 'beds they had made. Myra lay next to Lot; he'd secretly hollowed out a place near him in the grass for his dear _friend_. Valerie slumped against the tree, turning away from all of them. Alfons and Valetin piled the rocks on top of the fire, successfully putting it out. Alfons choose his place next to the smoldering pile of rocks while Valetin tried his best to get near his sister.

Ten minutes and they'd all drifted off, all falling into their dreams...

...

_Their noses crinkled as they were woken from their sleep, something was dripping on them... Something thick... Their eyes shot open, only to be met with the beady red eyes of Bulblin archers, holding arrows directly in their faces. _

_Poison was dripping from the hard tips of the deadly weapons, dripping strait onto them... Then, that same woman came prancing up to them, a very satisfied grin on her face. "I told you, you where getting in something much deeper..." She cackled her signature cackle. "Oh well, you should thank me, I'm sparing you all the pain of this..." She waved her hand. Promptly turning and walking away._

_"Well..." She paused, slightly turning to glance over her shoulder. "Say thanks..." They shut their eyes, waiting for the impact of the shots. And for the first time of many, they wished with all their heart that they'd never come..._

_..._

Their eyes shot open as they jolted from their resting spots. That odd sense of calmness after you thought you'd be killed can swamping over them. Although, one glance shot across each other sent a haunting feeling over them, a glance of _that _sort could only mean that they had in fact, all had the exact same dream.

Alfons pinched the bridge of his nose before letting out a long sigh a staring up at the still black sky. "We have at least two hours left." He paused, refocusing a tired gaze on the rest of them. "We'll need them." He slumped back against the tree, shutting is eyes and turning away from them. "We'll discuss this tomorrow. Goodnight."

They all hesitantly lay back down, falling into a thankfully dreamless sleep...

**Uhhh... Can you tell I kinda lost it at the end? Meeeeeeh... Do you mind if I just update when I get the chappys done? 'Cause I've got WAAAAY too many stories, and I'm trying to update all of them... But you have to tell me if you prefer Tuesday! *Hint* *Hint* *REVIEW***

**~TheTwilightWarrior**


	7. New

**Hiya! No more reviews...? *Sniff* Why? I hope this isn't failing that much... Ah, oh well...**

_~ New ~ _

_-Sometimes it's needed-_

Myra crinkled her nose as something wet and warm was pressed to her forehead. Birds were quietly chirping in, what she assumed to be a window. This would of course be the cause for the light trying to rip away the dark shroud over her eyes... Her mind was begging to open her eyes but every other once of her body was screaming for five more minutes.

Finally succumbing to that cursed light, she lazily opened her eyes... A quick glance around the room told her that they were in something of a medical facility. The neatly swept floors and the multiple beds, the oddity was the fact that she was surrounded by tree bark... And she certainly wasn't alone, a very young girl, who only looked to be somewhere around seven, with the brightest green hair you'd ever seen. She was staring at a rather large ball of pitch black fur, which could only be one person...

Yes, Luna was lying on the floor, a chain wrapped around her neck and nailed to the wall; the little girl could only stare. She only broke that odd, longing gaze towards the fallen beast when she noticed the raven-haired girl, her eyes darting around the room. "Oh! Um... You're awake!" She paused, chewing her lip. "You, um, you're... Human?" She was so obviously scared, that a little bit of Myra wanted to actually _hug _her.

"Yes..." She paused, glancing around the room a bit more, catching sight of the rest of the group unconscious on the beds lined next to hers. Then, a thought occurred to her. "Um... Aren't you?" The question was instantly regretted; the mere thought that a little girl, plain as day, wasn't human? And she could've offended the girl! The end result was the undying urge to slap herself on the forehead.

Shockingly, instead of the expected fall of the head, eyes searching the floor and whatever else people do when they've been offended. The girl simply gave a forced half smile and shrugged. "Well, actually... No." She stated, so perfectly calm and unfazed. Myra had to double take, she still wasn't sure she could fully trust her senses, something had obviously happened, so who's to say that her ears were no longer functioning properly?

"Y-you're not... Human?" She choked, trying her best not to let her fear show. The little girl nodded, that half smile still plastered on her face until a groan sounded from the other end of the room. Alfons slowly sat himself up, pinching the bridge of his nose and running a hand through his hair.

He caught sight of Myra and the green-haired girl, both staring at him expectantly. "... Hello." He mumbled, trying his best to seem as though he _wasn't _having a small mental breakdown. That little girl, she looked so familiar, in all his studying in the Hylian Royal Library, he had found some things on the old races of Hyrlue. And he could've sworn that girl looked just like one of them...

He noticed the sleeping beast on the floor and almost grinned. "Might I ask what you're doing with our friend there?" He chuckled at the puzzled expression he received, and Myra's sudden blush. "Now, Myra. Is there something you were forgetting to say?" He went on and laughed, instantly regretting it from the throbbing in his head.

The girl shook her head and shot a glance at the cat. "You're... Friend?" She asked, as though she was fully expecting them to all be insane and that cat was just a beast. Her assumption was that this 'friend' had been chasing them and somehow managed to fall in with them, and they had most likely hit their heads and now had the thought that the beast was their friend.

But of course with all these assumptions, they'd all proved wrong. Alfons smiled and shook his head. "No, you see... That one is a girl, a human girl." He pointed to were Lot laid, half his body dangling over the edge of the bed and a small trickle of drool hanging from his mouth. "And that one is a beast. They're both the same, so I have to ask that you un-chain that one." He stated, still keeping an honest smile.

A few moments passed of the girl looking between Lot and Luna, trying to process the similarity of the two. Her eyes widened as she realized the point and she was instantly next to the beast, quickly unclipping the chain and backing away as if she expected her to jump up and tear her limb-from-limb. She remained peacefully, lightly, snoring. Completely unfazed and showing no sign of waking up.

Five other groans sounded as five heads slowly poked out from under blankets. Alfons shook his head as Valerie grumbled various annoyed complaints. "Well, now that we're all up..." He paused, standing and looking at the content black lump of fur, still snoring on the floor. "Erm, could someone...?" He muttered, walking over to the head of the room. The little girl following him as if she thought Alfons would fall over and she would catch him.

Abria hopped up, as if nothing at all had happened and she was simply waking up in her own room. She shook the sleeping beast, trying her best to gently rouse her. A growl sounded as the beast jumped from her spot and lunged at the healer, knocking her to the floor. She widened her eyes in shock, as she realized who it was. That familiar sound, something like water rushing through a river, rang through the room as Luna jumped off the healer.

The green-haired girl gave a small gasp. "She is human..." She whispered, obviously thinking aloud and not realizing she said a word. Luna growled as her and the healer shared a silent exchange, climbing up and standing in a row of the now standing group.

Alfons clasped his hands and kneeled down so that he was eye level with the little girl. "Now, if you don't mind, I think we'd all like to ask your name." He smiled at the shy look he received. The girl rung her hands and giggled lightly, looking at the people surrounding her, all curious and awaiting an answer... "Ah! That's right..." She mumbled. "I haven't told you anything yet, have I?" Multiple nods were given.

"Well, I suppose I was a bit flustered!" She laughed. "You see, you're all the first humans I've seen!" Valetin raised an eyebrow and pinched the bridge of his nose, going into deep thought of how to process the information; of course he was cut off by the high-pitched voice of the girl. "Well, um, beside that... My name is Saria." She bowed, her green hair swishing in front of her eyes. "It's the name of one of the old seven sages of Hyrule."

Alfons snapped his fingers, rushing up to Saria's side. "The sage of the forest? From the Kokori tribe!" He quizzed, not giving her enough time to answer. "The Kokori disappeared over one-hundred years ago! Along with the Gerudo and the Shiekah! The name of the sage's were only to be given to the children of the respected tribes..." He stood up, staring Saria straight in the eye, patently waiting for an answer to a rather un-asked question.

She shuffled her feet, uncomfortable under the sudden excitement in the serving boy's prying eyes. "Well, um... You see..." She stuttered, unable to find words. "You fell, and, um..." A pause, she stood up tall, trying her best to look Alfons in the eyes with a new found determination. "You're currently in the Kokori village. I am a Kokori. And if you were to walk out this door, everyone you see will also be a Kokori. I look like a child yet I'm actually much older than any of you. Our village was sunk, along with all of Hyrule in a great flood, leaving only a few remaining survivors to uphold our tribe..." She took in a very long breath, color returning to her paling cheeks. "Eventually we found something of a safe haven and stayed there. I suppose that over the years, the earth washed its way over us and we've just lived here ever since." Her face fell, and she found her eyes glued to the ground. "As for the Shiekah and he Gerudo... Our tribes haven't made contact since the flood... I suppose they've either found their own places, or they've all been wiped out..." She sighed, turning her eyes up to see several confused and utterly speechless faces staring down at her, causing her face to flush red.

Valetin stepped up to her. "So, we are in the Kokori village?" He swallowed, silently praying she would laugh and say no. To his displeasure she gave him a grave nod, letting the odd feeling of despair wash over the assistant. His eyes searched the room and he slowly made his way over to his sister. "Well... H-how did we get here?" He questioned. "If you've all moved underground, how could we possibly be here?" He voice was so full of utter despair; it was putting them all in a rather stressful mood.

Saria smiled, eager to answer whatever questions they may have. "I'm actually not quite sure... The entrance only opens when no one's around, only when it has to..." She bit her bottom lip, obviously trying to find a way to cure the troubled expressions they'd all gained. Apparently, humans got worried when they found out they'd fallen into something that only opened in bizarre situations.

Lot shook his head, taking a breath as Myra huddled closer to his arm. "So... Are you saying that we may truly be... Stuck, here?" He asked the slightest crack in his voice. The thought made them all shutter, save for the green-haired Kokori. The idea that they may be stuck in this 'village' also brought up one other, very pressing matter... "You see, we've things that need to be done where we come from... And, these _things _are very pressing, and need to be taken care of with the upmost haste." He finished, his brow furrowed at his attempt on a 'mannered' speech.

Saria began to nervously fiddle with a piece of her ivy hair. "Well, um..." She paused, still trying to think of an explanation. "Oh! I know! We'll all go to the village elder after you've rested a bit longer, she always knows why these things happen..." Her eyes brightened, the thought seemed to shed some light on the darkness in the room. "Of course... You'll all need to rest a while longer..." She said, ushering them back to their beds.

Abria stopped, easily refusing the light tug from the small girl. "Ah, I could fix the issue of rest..." She grinned. "I am a healer..." She reached into a bag strapped around her waist and pulled out the old, leather-back healing book. "It won't be a problem at all." She smiled, making her way around the group, stopping at Valetin when he pulled her to the side.

"Abria... Do you recall what we discussed before all... _This_?" He asked, motioning to the tree- bark room, and to the five others questioning the green-haired girl on everything they could possibly think of. Valerie seemed to be the one doing most of the questioning, although, she was probably more upset with it. After all, she'd always been the lesser of the enthusiastic of things in general...

The healer paused, trying to figure out what they 'discussed' before, and why her focus had been turned to Valerie... Ah! "Mmm, yes. Yes I do..." She said, trying her best to sound casually, and not as though she'd completely forgotten the whole thing.

Valetin nodded, there was small pause between dialogue, giving Abria enough time to whip out her book and begin chatting those old Hylian words. She put her hand on him, and was surprised to find just how cold he was. His whole body felt like ice compared to her warm touch. Come to think of it, he was always pale, and she could probably come up with a few times she'd seen him shivering. Although, he defiantly suited being a doctor's assistant... It was a wonder he knew how to use a sword.

Luna and Lot both let out tired, pained groans, ripping the healer from her, now that she thought of it, very stupid thoughts. Such petty things that take over one's mind... "Valetin... Perhaps we should talk about this later...?" She muttered, pulling her hand away from him and shooting a glance at the moaning beasts.

He nodded the slightest bit of sadness showing in his eyes. "Of course, of course." He ushered, waving his hand in a feeble attempt to show some fake understanding. He let out a small chuckle, maybe even an honest one, as he too caught sight of the beast. "It seems as though you're needed." He grinned at her, almost as if giving a silent goodbye before turning to joining Alfons and his sister.

Abria let out a sigh, choking herself in the process because she forced the sigh back down. She had no reason to sigh, it was half-conscious anyway, something distracted her, she settled. She shook her head to clear her thoughts before sulking over to the complaining two, healing Lot first, then Luna. She was trying (Yet again) to get the half-cat to smile, or show some sign of emotion besides an annoying attempt at getting a healer over to her.

Of course, this proved difficult, as she couldn't seem to get the thought of how cold _he _was out of her head... Bah! It was most likely because that was an awkward moment, most likely. She shook her head, in yet another attempt at putting the thought out, and she was probably a little to thankful when the Kokori's soft voice rang out. "Alright! I think that's all... Is everybody ready?" No response was apparently response enough for Saria, in a matter of seconds they were all standing outside the wooden door, gawking at what they saw.

An entire colony of children seemed to live in their own little village. Little one's bustled about, holding wood or straw or any other imaginable goods they could possibly have. A peaceful-looking river flowed through out the small land, which, upon further examination, was very small. The place was surrounded by towering cliffs, reaching all the way up to the non-existent sky, leaving only around three miles in diameter.

But the oddest thing of all was the light, streaming from an unknown source. A fear that hadn't even been recognized was suddenly though about: Why hadn't they even considered a light source? They'd all been told they were underground; therefore there'd be no sunlight... The question burned in all their minds, but they oddly choose to ignore it and continue their visual wandering.

Every house was a tree, and the fact that everyone in the village appeared to be little children was beginning to make the group uncomfortable. The idea that you were taller then everyone in your current residents was for some reason intimidating to all of them.

Saria, catching on to their fear, smiled her best reassuring smile. "Don't let our height and appearance fool you." She stated, a certain glint in her eye they'd all grown used to from Lot shining through. "You're the youngest ones in this village." She stated, grinning to herself at the several dropped jaws of the humans.  
><strong>Pwease review! It helps me get out of writers-block. *HINT!*<strong>


	8. Reaching

**Hiya! LATEE! SO SORRY! T^T I've got such awful writers-block... Someone please help me! This chappy's about Luna, not much plot, but Luna's my first OC... I wanted to do something for her-Every one of my OC's has a little chunk of my soul...**

_~ Reaching ~_

_-Always for something bigger-_

The meeting with the elder was long since over, and, due to the lack of confirming light, they still had plenty of time left in the 'day'. They'd each gone their own way, being told that whenever they wanted to come back for rest, to report where they'd woken up. Some of them had stayed together, as Myra was still hiding behind Lot and showed no plan of leaving.

Luna had long since gone off to her own affairs, looking for some place in the bustling village she could stay, without fear of being spoken to. The undying search had yielded her a spot in a flower bed, a large change from her normal places of rest. The only thing that through her off was the odd smell the plants gave off, although it wasn't near enough to get her away.

She was very determined to think everything over, no matter how out of character it was for her. She tried to remember why she'd even told that healer to come with her; she should've let her live her life unaffected. After all, they were now trapped underground, if she would've left her alone, she'd still be serving in the bar...

She tried to leave the thought, although she puzzled herself for why she'd asked the healer... She hardly ever spoke to anyone; she'd been 'burned' so to speak, far too many times. She lay back in the flowers, recapping all the horrid experiences caused by her second nature. Her tongue ran across the fang she tried so hard to hide, wishing with every ounce of her being that she could wipe away the beast in her.

Her thoughts wandered to every corner of her life, reminding her of the lack of memory before the age of six. She knew her parents had been either murdered, or thrown her onto the street due to the awful beast they found they had... she tossed back and forth, trying to shake away the second option. She'd spent her life looking for ways to rid herself of her other half, and searching for someone who knew her...

Not the most awe inspiring life... But the countless hours of wandering the fields had given her a good feel for her sword and heart for travel. She took out the blade, to examine the odd markings that'd never been traced to a single race. The blade that she seen every day since the beginning of her memory, joined by a belt to her hip. The only thing that could trace to her past couldn't be traced at all... It amazed her how much irony had invaded her life...

She rolled onto her back a let out a very deep, very long sigh, her eyes going blank as she lost herself to the wonder that she was looking up at the ground... In her thought, her eyes eventually found themselves closing and her mind going numb. She drifted off in sleep, shadows from branches bouncing around her face. Perhaps she'd finally slept under that tree, because when with that group, she never had a single nightmare...

She tried her best to avoid sleep, always being plagued with nightmares of the most inner of her fears. She'd always loved the night, hated sleep. Every fiber of her being wanted to stay awake for eternity, but the logic side of her shut the thought down. Her fears were confirmed, as different visions filled her restless sleep.

Every possible brutal way her parents could've been murdered or mauled ran through her head. This happened every night, although this was going to an extreme, buzzing about like a bee waiting to sting. She heard something, someone calling her... Someone shaking her, she squirmed as she slept, trying to get away.

Her head jerked up, as she finally managed to escape the inner fears she'd always kept to herself. She buried her face in her hands and hung her head. She could feel cool sweat trickling down her back, sending chills up her spine and adding to the tear she felt in her chest. "I'm sorry..." She peeked through her bangs, catching sight of the green-haired Kokori sitting on the ground next to her. "I should have warned you, but you disappeared so fast..." She furrowed her brow and looked at the grass, rubbing her hands in the flowers Luna had fallen into.

"These flowers are jinxed." She paused. "If you sleep in them you have nightmare's... I'm sorry." She stood and bowed, sensing the hostility coming from the girl she left. She hardly noticed the small nod she got as recognition, to busy wondering what could have scared the girl so much.

She passed the healer of the group, looking up at her in some silent conversation. She put up her hand in the smallest wave imaginable and walked away, both going in opposite directions. Abria continued on her way, she'd noticed the lack of their second beast, and hadn't stopped looking for her since.

She found the girl huddled under a rather small oak tree, her eyes wide and panicked. Abria made her way over, watching as the girl nearly jumped out of her skin as the healer sat down next to her. She quickly turned away and pursed her lips, seeming to lock herself up so no one could get through to her. Abria racked her mind for some way to start what she was sure to be an interesting conversation. "Err... Hello." She greeted, mentally slapping herself for the lamely made introduction.

The shut-up half-cat shrugged and continued staring into the distance. Abria sighed and scooted closer to the girl. "Tell me, why do you seem to despise of people so?" She asked, hoping she wouldn't be driving the stake further between the girl and any human interaction. Several long seconds passed as the hollow sound of a moaning wind blew through the tree. Abria furrowed her brow and shook her head, gazing up at the rustling branches. Seeing as she wasn't getting anywhere with her question, she tried to change the subject, hoping to at least drive up some exchanging words. "It's a wonder, this place. The wind blows and the light floods about, yet there is no point of origin." She paused as the girl turned, and the healer reveled in her own silent victory.

Luna pursed her lips, scowling slightly as she realized she wasn't getting away from this healer. "The wonder is that river." She muttered, letting out a deep rooted sigh of displeasure. "It flows like any normal river, yet its origin, is a cliff. I swear, it's the oddest thing in this village." She scoffed; raising her eyebrow was the healer chuckled at her comment.

Her giggles dying out, Abria choose to trust her wavering voice. "I thought the oddest thing was the small people." She let the last of her giggles and stared at the girl, she was so... Dark. Coming near her was a challenge, even in Telma's, it felt like she was giving off a warning sign. Something buzzed by Luna's face and she swatted at it, scowling at her attacker.

Something in that scowl hit Abria, something off. It was hard and bold, a single white fang, completely matching Lot's. Abria recalled the glares the two half-breeds had gotten as they walked through the town; people looked at them like they were the enemy. Like they were the awful thing that ruined their city, unlike these Kokori, who hardly gave any of them a glance despite them towering over the little people.

There must be a story in her somewhere. Like an untapped gold mine, waiting to be broken into so that its contents could be driven out and put in the open. The healer stared at her, long and hard, drilling her with a stare sharp enough to make the beast fidget. Finally Luna decided to actually speak, just to get Abria's eyes off her. "Is the reason you've been searching only to question me and attempt my murder with your eyes?" She asked, dry and flat.

Abria scoffed and rolled her eyes, obviously not enjoying the joke. "Of course not." She paused, and tried to imagine what Lot would do in this rather oddly made situation. _Lot. _He was a beast, like this little ball of fire, perhaps this job wasn't hers. Perhaps Lot was more the sort to deal with a girl like Luna, being one of... Her kind, and all.

The healer stood, deciding to something she rarely did: Give it a rest. This girl obviously didn't want any sort of friends; the only strange thing was why she would even stay in a group. A group that grew a bit closer every day. Abria smiled to herself at the thought, and frowned at another. All these warning signs got to her, it was just an herb they needed, was all this really necessary?

Abria stood, stretching and looking down at the girl gazing up at her. "I'll be taking my leave now, if you don't mind." She paused, raising an eyebrow as she caught something of disappointment in the beast's eyes. "Perhaps, if you ever want to actually speak... Ah, you know where to find me." Her motherly set kicked back in. "Be back before dark-if that exist here. Be sure to thank Saria for allowing us to stay in that hut, and don't cause trouble." She took in a breath; Luna raised her eyebrow and scoffed. She'd never caused _real _trouble, besides the occasional theft-only necessary, mind you.

Abria reluctantly walked away, leaving the half-beast to gaze off in the distance behind her. Something else managed to pop into her head, the entire reason they were here. They were in an underground city, inhabited by small, hundred year old people. This was overly confusing; she would need to talk to Alfons about it. The Lot about Luna, then Valetin about Valerie, then Myra because they enjoyed their talks. Dear Nayru, a healer's life could get busy when going on a forsaken quest.

**Why did I give the entire chappy to Luna and Abria? I like sisterly things. Luna was-As I said- My first ever OC. This was my silent little thing honoring that. Sorry for the shorter chapter, stupid block... Hope ya don't mind, story line resumes next time. Please review!**

**~TheTwilightWarrior**


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